The Great Controversy - Righteousness is Love

456be seeking to promote the stability of the divine government, while secretlybending every effort to secure its overthrow. And the very work which hewas thus endeavoring to accomplish he charged upon the loyal angels. Thesame policy of deception has marked the history of the Roman Church. Ithas professed to act as the vicegerent of Heaven, while seeking to exaltitself above God and to change His law. Under the rule of Rome, those whosuffered death for their fidelity to the gospel were denounced as evildoers;they were declared to be in league with Satan; and every possible meanswas employed to cover them with reproach, to cause them to appear in theeyes of the people and even to themselves as the vilest of criminals. So itwill be now. While Satan seeks to destroy those who honor God's law, hewill cause them to be accused as lawbreakers, as men who are dishonoringGod and bringing judgments upon the world.God never forces the will or the conscience; but Satan's constant resort–togain control of those whom he cannot otherwise seduce–is compulsion bycruelty. Through fear or force he endeavors to rule the conscience and tosecure homage to himself. To accomplish this, he works through bothreligious and secular authorities, moving them to the enforcement of humanlaws in defiance of the law of God.Those who honor the Bible Sabbath will be denounced as enemies of lawand order, as breaking down the moral restraints of society, causing anarchyand corruption, and calling down the judgments of God upon the earth.Their conscientious scruples will be pronounced obstinacy, stubbornness,and contempt of authority. They will be accused of disaffection toward thegovernment. Ministers who deny the obligation of the divine law willpresent from the pulpit the duty of yielding obedience to the civil authoritiesas ordained of God. In legislative halls and courts of justice, commandmentkeepers will be misrepresented and condemned. A false coloring will begiven to their words; the worst construction will be put upon their motives.As the Protestant churches reject the clear, Scriptural arguments in defenseof God's law, they will long to silence those whose faith they cannotoverthrow by the Bible. Though they blind their own eyes to the fact, theyare now adopting a course which will lead to the persecution of those whoconscientiously refuse to do what the rest of the Christian world are doing,and acknowledge the claims of the papal sabbath.The dignitaries of church and state will unite to bribe, persuade, or compelall classes to honor the Sunday. The lack of divine authority will besupplied by oppressive enactments. Political corruption is destroying love